Apparatus for molding cooked rice

Abstract

Provided is a food molding apparatus which performs all steps from forming to conveyance and storage in one housing and which is small in size and inexpensive. A conveyance section 500 which holds a formed cooked rice product (a rice ball 10 ) by use of holding arms 510 is provided, within a housing, with an X-axis moving unit 570 which moves the formed cooked rice product in an X-axis direction and a Z-axis moving unit 550 which moves the formed cooked rice product in a Z-axis direction. A storage section 600 provided with a tray 610 on which the rice ball 10 is to be placed is further provided, within the housing, a Y-axis moving unit 630 which moves the tray 610 in a Y-axis direction, whereby the rice balls 10 are spread over on the tray 610.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A cooked rice molding apparatus, comprising:
 a housing; 
 a hopper present on the housing; 
 a forming section present in the housing, comprising
 a pair of forming rollers which forms cooked rice, which is supplied from the hopper, into a prescribed formed cooked rice product, and; 
 
 a storage section present in the housing, which stores the formed cooked rice product; and 
 a conveyance section, provided with a pair of holding arms which holds the formed cooked rice product in a sandwiching manner, present between the forming section and the storage section which conveys the formed cooked rice product formed by the forming section to the storage section, 
 wherein the conveyance section comprises an X-axis moving device which moves the pair of holding arms in an X-axis direction within the housing and a Z-axis moving device which moves the pair of holding arms in a Z-axis direction within the housing, 
 the storage section comprises a tray for storing the formed cooked rice product conveyed by the pair of holding arms thereon and capable of moving in a Y-axis direction within the housing and a Y-axis moving device moving the tray, 
 the X-axis direction is a width direction of the housing, 
 the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction of the housing which is orthogonal to the X-axis direction, 
 the Y-axis direction is a depth direction of the housing which is orthogonal to the X-axis direction, 
 the forming section, the conveyance section, and the storage section are disposed in the housing in a vertical direction in an order from a top toward a bottom of the housing, 
 the pair of holding arms moves the formed cooked rice product in the X-axis direction with the X-axis moving device from an initial position where the formed cooked rice product is released and dropped from the forming section, and 
 the tray is movable in the Y-axis direction within an area in which the pair of holding arms moves in the X-axis direction. 
 
     
     
       2. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the pair of forming rollers rotates in directions opposite to each other around a prescribed horizontal rotary axis,
 at least one concave molding surface for forming the formed cooked rice product is provided on an outer circumferential surface of each of the forming rollers, 
 the cooked rice fed from an upstream side of opposed surfaces of each of the forming rollers is formed with the concave molding surfaces and is discharged from a downstream side of the opposed surfaces of the forming rollers, and 
 each of the holding arms is formed in a shape of a letter V such that a distance between the holding arms decreases from an upper end side to a lower end side in order to catch the formed cooked rice product falling from a downstream side of the forming section. 
 
     
     
       3. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein a claw portion, which holds the formed cooked rice product from a bottom surface thereof to a side surface thereof, is provided on an opening and closing end side of each of the holding arms and the claw portions are arranged to be opposed to each other so that a space, in which the formed cooked rice product is housed, is formed between the claw portions. 
     
     
       4. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein a surface of the claw portion opposed to the formed cooked rice product is provided with a displacement prevention part for preventing the formed cooked rice product from shifting upward due to a pressing force during pressing of the formed cooked rice product against the tray. 
     
     
       5. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the displacement prevention part is formed in a shape of saw teeth having a gentle obtuse surface in a falling direction of the formed cooked rice product and an acute surface in a counter falling direction of the formed cooked rice product. 
     
     
       6. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the conveyance section further comprises an arm opening and closing part which releases the formed cooked rice product held by the holding arms in the sandwiching manner by opening and closing a leading end of each of the holding arms, and a pushing-out part which pushes out the formed cooked rice product housed in the holding arm to the storage section. 
     
     
       7. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein the pushing-out part includes a depressing lever which maintains a posture of the formed cooked rice product by depressing an upper surface of the formed cooked rice product during release of the formed cooked rice product, and
 the depressing lever is provided with a spring part which makes a depressing force of the formed cooked rice product constant. 
 
     
     
       8. A cooked rice molding apparatus, comprising:
 a housing; 
 a hopper present on the housing; 
 a forming section present in the housing which forms cooked rice, which is supplied from the hopper into the housing, into a prescribed formed cooked rice product, and having a pair of forming rollers which rotates in directions opposite to each other around a prescribed horizontal rotary axis; 
 a storage section present in the housing, which stores the formed cooked rice product; and 
 a conveyance section present between the forming section and the storage section which conveys the formed cooked rice product formed by the forming section to the storage section, 
 wherein the conveyance section comprises
 an X-axis moving device which moves the formed cooked rice product in an X-axis direction within the housing, 
 a Z-axis moving device which moves the formed cooked rice product in a Z-axis direction within the housing, 
 a pair of holding arms which holds the formed cooked rice product in a sandwiching manner, each of the holding arms is formed in a shape of a letter V such that a distance between the holding arms decreases from an upper end side to a lower end side in order to catch the formed cooked rice product falling from a downstream side of the forming section, and 
 
 a housing cover and a depressing part having a depressing lever, 
 the depressing part is formed between the holding arms, 
 the Z-axis moving device has a slide base in the housing cover connected with the depressing part, 
 a free end of the depressing lever rotates in association with ascent and descent of the slide base, 
 the storage section comprises a tray for storing the formed cooked rice product conveyed by the conveyance section thereon and capable of moving in a Y-axis direction within the housing and a Y-axis moving device moving the tray, 
 the X-axis direction is a width direction of the housing, 
 the Z-axis direction is a vertical direction of the housing, 
 the Y-axis direction is a depth direction of the housing, 
 the forming section, the conveyance section, and the storage section are disposed in the housing in a vertical direction in an order from a top toward a bottom of the housing, 
 the conveyance section moves the formed cooked rice product in the X-axis direction with the X-axis moving device from an initial position where the formed cooked rice product is released and dropped from the forming section, 
 the tray is movable in the Y-axis direction within an area in which the conveyance section moves in the X-axis direction, 
 at least one concave molding surface for forming the formed cooked rice product is provided on an outer circumferential surface of each of the forming rollers, and 
 the cooked rice fed from an upstream side of opposed surfaces of each of the forming rollers is formed with the concave molding surfaces and is discharged from a downstream side of the opposed surfaces of the forming rollers. 
 
     
     
       9. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein the depressing lever has a depressing surface at the free end thereof depressing an upper surface of the formed cooked rice product. 
     
     
       10. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to  claim 9 , wherein the housing cover has a supporting stay on a front surface thereof such that the depressing lever is rotatable around a rotary shaft disposed on the supporting stay, and
 the depressing lever has a plate spring at a lower end side thereof making depressing force with which the depressing lever depresses the upper surface of the formed cooked rice product at the depressing surface. 
 
     
     
       11. The cooked rice molding apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the plate spring is a metal plate present along a front surface of the depressing lever, and
 the depressing force applied to the depressing surface becomes constant by hitching of a part of a guide rib.